In this photo, I'm creating a clay pot, with leftover paint still staining my fingertips. The background is a black table, out of focus, splattered with paint. I teach art classes for elementary/middle schoolers, and during my breaks I like to take time to make art for myself. Art is one of my favorite hobbies, it's a great way for me to express myself. I have two big philosophies towards joy. The first, that joy must be shaped, symbolically represented by the shaping of clay. You must cultivate joy in your life, and don't mean this in a "just choose to be happy" way, I mean this in the sense that you have control over your actions and environment and can create conditions that would bring joy to you. The second is that joy can be accidental rather than intentional, it can be found. The out-of-focus splattered colors against the dark table and the paint marring my fingertips represents this. The colors are blurry, you have to look for it to notice it-otherwise it may just pass you by. This is similar to how we must seek joy in our lives, we have to accept it. In either philosophy, I believe that joy doesn't just happen to you, it is something you are an active participant in.